Latum alterum
by Jaiyere
Summary: Latum alterum; Latin; "The Other Side" When he stepped into the portal, he never expected to gain anything from it. Much less another parent. (If anything he seemed to be more competent than his living ones.)
1. Painful Start

**A/N:** So. I rewrote the prologue. Danny Phantom I do not own.

* * *

Bright eyes opened slowly for the first time. The first color for him to see? Green and black mixing into what he thought was the sky in many, many swirls. Almost to the point of hypnotizing. His first thought?

 _'Where am I?'_

His second?

 _'...Who am I?'_

Sitting up seemed a bit impossible with the state his body was in, so he refrained from that for now. The boy frowned. What did he remember last...? There was waking up... and then **black.** Nothing else. Trying to go any further just made his head hurt. ( _more than it already did at least._ )

With a sigh, he contented himself with observing where he was. Lying on an island, the ground was just big enough to fit his entire body. ( _He was also wearing something black and white although he had no clue what it was. Need a mirror to see the rest._ ) and where the island ended simply...dropped off into nothingness. Or rather into the green and black swirly mess that was above and around him. It seemed rather homey to him if he was being honest. In the far off distance, he could see floating purple doors and clock gears in the air. There was even the occasional piece of land like his, but with different shapes and sizes. ( _He even thought he could see a clock tower on one of them._ )

After a few minutes of resting, his second attempt to get up was with success, albeit a bit sorely. He took another glance around, familiarizing himself with what he can see. Trying to see if any of it seemed familiar. ( _There wasn't which meant he was either really really amnesiac or his past self-had never been here before_

 _He didn't really want to think of the fact that there might not be a past self to him._ )

Staring at the ground didn't really help him much although it was rather interesting to look at. The grass was a lot darker compared to-( _What? Co_ _ **M**_ _pa_ _ **r**_ **ed** _**t**_ _o_ _ **w**_ _h_ a _t_ _ **?**_ ) And the little patches of dirt here and there showed it was a slightly greyish purple color. ( _Weird. He had never seen something like that._ )

( _Technically he never saw much of anything, really._ )

A thought, unbidden, unexpected and not really his own.

 _'This is my home.'_

How can a piece of rock be a home?

' _Just wait._ '

A sign of insanity, surely.

And then the ground wobbled and morphed beneath him. He watched in silent fascination as the ground slowly changed itself. As grass sank in the dirt and dirt became wood (- _I don't really think it's supposed to do that-!?_ )

and then.

There was.

A door.

' _ **Home.'**_

It was different from the others, is that it was a nice silvery black and white. He never noticed he was slowly falling off the transformed door until he was floating in front of it. It took a few embarrassing minutes of flailing around to realize that he wasn't falling. ( _Just like the door. Cool._ )

He stared at it in quiet awe.

That is until the door spat something in his face with a resounding _smack._

"GAH!"

The action sent him spinning backward, away from the door and into the space that is where ever he was.

When he recovered, the amnesiac boy fumbled for the thing that had hit his face so hard.

It was cold, it was metal, it was a key. It looked like those old-fashioned keys meant for mansions with a nice "D" insignia shaped out of the end of the handle. And without a doubt, it was the key to the rather noticeable keyhole in the mystery door.

He looked up at the door only to realize...

How was he going to get back?

' _You Fly.'_

"I, what!?"

* * *

With some difficulty, he managed to ah, swim back. No matter what the voice said, he was pretty sure that he couldn't fly.

 _'Not yet, at least.'_

Fumbling a bit with the key and almost dropping it once, he finally managed to get it in the door and turned it. A loud click echoed in the silence. Despite how weird everything was he felt oddly calm about everything.

And he pushed the door open.

The inside was rather… anticlimactic.

It was a normal room. Something you would see in a college room actually. ( _How do I know that?_ ) Just a single bed, enough to fit two people in it. The four walls were all a nice blue color and the floor had a nice green circle rug under the bed. There weren't any chairs around but he did notice a closet door on the far wall next to the bed. And- there! A mirror!

He quickly stumbled over to it, not quite used to the sudden gravity change that happened the moment he stepped inside. Then suddenly, he could finally see what he looked like.

Bright, toxic green eyes stared into his and bright white hair ( _impossible to call it old man hair._ ) floated to a nonexistent wind. He was wearing a one piece, slightly baggy, black suit (' _hazmat'_ ) that had a white collar and boots and gloves. It looked really... _'Black and white'_ if he was honest. Plus the added "D" symbol on the chest made him look like some kind of cheesy hero. ( _Not that he minded much. It just seemed_ right.)

' _Danny Phantom.'_

What?

' _Danny Phantom.'_

Me?

' _Us.'_

Oh.

That was his name huh?

'Danny.' Not a bad name really. He rubbed his eyes. Was it him or was the mirror blurry?

And the world tilted sideways.

' _You're tired. Sleep.'_

From his position on the floor, he agreed. Slowly, Danny stood up, making his way to the bed. ( _A dark purple blanket, nice._ ) with a flop, he landed on the ( _really soft_.) bed and well, suffice to say the poor boy was out like a light. This is going to happen quite frequently. Hm.

So deep into sleep was he, that he never did notice the bright rings passing over his body.

* * *

She couldn't believe it.

This wasn't happening.

It _couldn't._

No no no no no _nonononoNO_!

" _NOOooOOOOOOO!_ "

Her anguished cry echoed throughout the lab.

She should have stopped him, should have never mentioned it, why-wHy _WHy WHY!?_ And she jumped at the portal. The angry swirling portal that looked ever so menacing that _dared_ to _takeDanny'slife-_ and she was wrenched back by a pair of hands and a voice yelling into her ear.

"Stop!"

She wrenched free, only to get caught again and held back from the portal.

"Stop! _Please_." The words, so heartbroken made her pause. And she looked back to her other friend. Anguished tear-filled eyes stared back.

" _Please_." He whispered. She couldn't handle it. With a choked sob she sank to the ground, Tucker falling with her.

Footsteps thundered and the basement door slammed open. Danny's parents ran into the basement lab.

"What happened!?" Maddie yelled, a gun ( _A real one, no one messes with her babies-_ ) in hand. "I heard screaming and-"

She stopped the moment her eyes landed on the portal.

"...oh my." she gasped. Her hands lowered in favor of staring.

"IS IT A GHOST!?" Jack followed her soon after with high tech guns whirring to life and glowing slightly green. He too dropped it in favor at gaping at the portal.

"It worked..." Maddie whispered, completely forgetting the two teens in favor of staring at what should have been a favor.

A smile grew on her face and she holstered the gun."IT WORKED!"

She jumped in her husband's arms squealing in delight. "IT WORKED JACK!"

"This calls for fudge!" Jack boomed out, smiling like an idiot. They danced around and kissed each other, so happy were only noticing the two teens after a good five minutes. They were still staring at the portal. Her smile faded when they saw the girl crying.

"Sam?" Maddie said. "Tucker? What are you two doing down here?" She looked around. "and where's Danny?"

Sam continued to cry. Tucker, trying to comfort her, ( _They're crying. Why?_ ) turned to look at them both. Tears began to trail down his face as he slowly lifted his arm, pointing at the portal itself. Their gazes followed it, landing on the portal. And then it clicked.

"Huh?...it-it can't be..." Tears formed in the mother's eyes. "He-he couldn't have..."

Tucker shook his head.

She dropped to the steel floor, staring blankly at the green swirling portal, a hand to her mouth as she silently, began to cry. A warm hand accompanied her as the couple hugged for a reason far different then their previous.

(Not her baby boy.)

(No.)

( _No..._ )

The portal continued to glow, casting shadows throughout the lab.

And then everything stopped.


	2. Windows to a soul

**A/N:** Starting out slow...

Thank you to my beta reader kid-genius1!

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom

* * *

 _He remembers the pain, the electricity coursing through every cell in his frail, human body. He remembers not being able to open his eyes, but, feeling the darkness rushing around him, pulling him ever deeper into what seemed eternal and something he's only ever seen in his parents 'weapons' pushing back. He feels the tugs between the green and black. The burning feeling, as if the tug of war were burning him inside out._

 _And then he feels a third pull, a pull that made death and life make a compromise over him, sending cold shivers that seemed to hold and protect him, like an older brother to his hurt twin._

 _When he finally_ , finally _opens his eyes, the last he sees is red. The last he hears are comforting whispers that he'll be alright._

* * *

Danny Fenton woke up to nothing. Well, not nothing in the sense of...nothing. He woke up to the feeling of missing _something._

He knew his name was Daniel Fenton, son of Jack and Maddie Fenton. He knew he had an older sister named Jasmine, Jazz for short, but…

 _Something was missing._

He knew he had two best friends, Tucker Foley and Samantha "Sam" Manson. A meat-eater and ultra-recyclo vegetarian respectably, but…

Danny was forgetting something extremely important. It-it was about him. He jumped out of bed only to look at the mirror.

Black hair, blue eyes, everything looked fine. He blinked. For a second he saw white- and green. Then back.

He rubbed his eyes then looked again. He saw it then,

It looked like a mirage,-a mist seemed to surround him. Colored mist. Patterns of white and black surrounded his clothes. His eyes seemed to glow an otherworldly mix of blue and green. His hair almost silver. Then it faded. Seeping back into his skin like a lotion.

He shivered. It was a cold feeling, but oddly comforting. He knew he was missing something, but knew it would be back soon. It was just… Resting! Yeah, resting. He yawned.

' _I must be tired still. I'll go and rest too.'_

Walking back to his bed he took off his boots and flopped on the bed. Closing his eyes, he went to sleep, with dreams of greens, and blues dancing together.

* * *

 _Meanwhile…_

In the depths of the Realm of the Dead, in Evermore, a building similar to that of a clock tower loomed. Floating gears of various sizes decorated the area surrounding it, bobbing to and fro like fish in a tide pool. Deep inside, near the very top, hovered a figure.

With blue skin, he wore a purple coat and cloak. He had what seemed to be a grandfather clock in his chest with a pendulum swinging back and forth. Every few minutes his form would change. From that of a child to that of a young man to an old man at his end. It would repeat in a continuous loop for what seemed to be until the end of time. The only thing that stayed the same was his scar that went over one of his red eyes.

His name was Clockwork. Ghost of time and observer of all timelines. Right now he was looking through one of the many mirrors he had. What showed was Danny Fenton, sleeping soundly in his bed without a care in the world. He smiled.

He fiddled a little with the small clock on as his staff, as he continued to look at the scene before him. The screen flickered and switched to show Danny's family and friends. They all seemed to be frozen as if someone shot them with a freeze ray.

Floating slightly away he said, "I suppose I should go and introduce myself to Daniel once he recovers." Turning to face the door out, he smiled again.

"Shall we go?"

In the air, a tinkling sound seemed to dance around him as he flew off to meet his new ward.

* * *

As he stared at the swirling angry green of the portal, Tucker wondered. He wondered what would've happened if it was him. He wondered how he would feel. He wished it was him. He wished it was him, instead of his best friend. The one who he was friends with since kindergarten. The one who he always stuck to since the beginning.

And as he held onto one of his best friends as she cried her heart out, he tried his hardest not to join her.

He failed.

* * *

She didn't realise. She should've known sooner. The boy whom she was friends with, the boy who always, _always_ managed to cheer her up in the worst of times, the boy whom she finally realised she had a crush on, was gone.

She didn't even seem to notice that she was on her knees. As the tears started to roll down her cheeks, she realised one thing:

It was _her_ fault, everything was all her fault, and there was nothing she could do to take it back.

* * *

The Fentons thought they were okay parents. Sure they spent more time on their inventions and theories, than their own children, but they always made sure their kids had what they needed.

Jack Fenton, the man of the house, self-proclaimed ghost hunter, a person who always had something to say, extreme fudge lover and the husband of Maddie Fenton was in a silent shock.

He felt his heart sinking into a bottomless pit of sorrow, as the reality of what happened to them finally hit him.

Madeline Fenton, the wife of Jack Fenton, the rational one of the two, black belt martial artist, and the better shot of the couple, was on her knees.

Her beautiful boy was gone. The one who would always stay up late to watch the stars was gone. The one who always talked excitedly as a little kid about being an astronaut was _\- dead._

When Danny was younger he would always go to her when he needed help, but as the years went on, as she got closer and closer to their discovery, slowly, ever so slowly they drifted away from each other. She regrets not paying more attention to him, she regrets focusing on her work more than her kids and most of all she regrets not even saying I love you to her son any and every chance she got. And if she ever got another chance, _she wouldn't let it slip through her fingers._

They had done it, they made a scientific breakthrough... but at what cost?

 _Was it even worth it?_

* * *

A smile, a laugh, and whispered words:

" _Time in."_

* * *

 _THUMP_

A noise brought the group looking up. And slowly, ever so slowly, Maddie slowly stood up, still looking at the ceiling. She began to walk towards the stairs that would lead to the living room, grabbing an ecto-gun along the way. Because above them was an empty house.

At least, it was supposed to be.

The rest of the group stayed silent, as Maddie crept up the stairs peering through a crack in the door.

No one.

It wasn't Jazz, she was still at school finishing up a project. Everyone else was behind her.

 _Do you think-?_

 _THUMP_

It was coming from upstairs.

Maddie approached the stairs as the thumps happened more frequently the closer she got. And as she crept along the hallway, she realised one thing:

It was coming from Danny's room.

 _THUMP_

Then it stopped as she stood in front of his door. she held the gun even tighter, prepared for what might be behind it _(because she knew it wasn't Danny, Danny- Danny was-)_ and slowly turned the knob.

For a second she thought she saw purple and she blinked.

It wasn't an intruder.

 _"DANNY!"_

* * *

 ** _A/N:_**

and cliffhanger! It'll be getting to a part where I'll be using some ideas I got from other writers. and don't worry the next chappy will be longer. sorry for the long wait. I think this an interlude...  
(To my previous readers, eheh I changed things a bit. Sorry.)

Pls Review


	3. Upheaval

Disclaimer: I don't own DP. I'm playing with it, yes, but It's not mine.

Also: Thanks again to Kid-Genius1 for putting up with my endless questions, busy life, and different time zones!

* * *

When Danny woke up, it was to silence. He frowned. Normally, it would be quite noisy, considering his parents. They always had some experiment going on down in the lab during weekends (sometimes weekdays) and thus something would always blow up. Loud enough to wake him usually.

He sat up, looking around, as to find the reason _why_ it was so quiet.

Then he realised he wasn't wearing any clothes. Well, save for some rather burnt scraps of cloth that looked oddly familiar…

Blushing, he quickly scrambled to the closet, opened the door and quickly grabbed some briefs, a white long sleeve shirt and jeans. He quickly pulled them on. Looking around he walked towards the first pair of doors he found.

Opening it, he looked out, hoping to maybe find out just _where_ he was. He came face to face with green. Green swirls that seemed to paint the entirety of his vision. Dotting here and there were what seemed like chunks of purple land and the occasional floating gears.

He slowly closed the door. Closed his eyes. Rubbed them. Blinked a little.

He opened the door again.

Green. _Everywhere._ In little twirls, a mixing pot of swirling shades of green and black that seemed almost homely. Were those purple doors he saw in the distance?

The door closed.

Hands holding face. _SCREAM._ (Internally)

' _WHERE THE HELL AM I?!'_

Sinking to the floor he took a deep breath.

' _Okay, Okay. Breath Danny, no need to panic. Just take a deep breath. And breathe. We just need to take this calmly and rationally.'_

He took a breathe. In. Out. In. Out.

' _First, find out what's around you.'_

He looked from his sitting spot to see that the room he was in was similar to his own. There was no window, though, and nothing of personal interest was sitting on the walls or dresser. Just a bed, a dresser, a mirror and another door that led to the closet.

' _Okay…the room seems normal.'_

Despite his wariness, he felt surprisingly comfortable.

' _And safe.'_

' _...'_

' _How did I_ get _here?'_

Leaning against the door, he closed his eyes and sighed. Everything seemed so-so weird, what with the green whatever-it-is right outside. All that he could remember was-

" _Knock."_

" _Knock."_

He stiffened in surprise. He wasn't expecting anyone to even be around where he was. Well, wherever here was. Twisting, he stood up, facing the door. He didn't know whether to open the door or hide in the closet.

" _Knock."_

" _Knock."_

He chose to open the door. ' _Might as well get it over with.'_

Grabbing the doorknob, Danny twisted it and slowly opened the door again to come face to face with a-man?-alien? He didn't know. All he knew was that the being standing-floating? He had no legs!-he had blue skin and dark red eyes that _swam_ with an unknown knowledge. And despite the oddity of the man(although he didn't really think he was human, he had a vague sense the being was male) he felt no danger.

"Hello, Daniel." The sentient being smiled. "It is nice to finally meet you."

'Daniel' narrowed his eyes, suspicious. Wary.

"It's Danny. And how do you know my name?" He gripped the doorknob a little tighter as if he was prepared to slam it close at any sign of danger. No matter if the being felt safe to him. It didn't hurt to be cautious.

"I know a lot of things Daniel." His eyes seemed to twinkle like there was some hidden joke only he knew. "May I come in?"

Danny blinked, and suddenly the man was gone, replaced by a replica of them, only smaller. With buck teeth.

"Wha-!?"

"Everything will be explained in time. Do not worry Daniel."

He stared a little longer, almost as if he was waiting for the ball to drop-for this all to be a joke, and that he'll wake up any second. Because surely it was. Maybe it was one of his parent's experiments gone wrong, and he got knocked out or something, and his parents or sister could be worrying about him, waiting for to wake up. To say it was all his imagination.

A minute.

Two.

Nah.

No way could he imagine something like this. At least not without a reference, and something told him that it was all real.

Shaking his head, he gave up and opened the door wider to let him in.

The being floated through, with a polite nod of his head. Danny only just realised that he was holding a staff of sorts that had a small clock attached to it. He settled on the bed before turning to face Danny.

"As you have probably noticed, you are not where you last remember." He shuffled around a bit, the smile disappearing as he seemed to contemplate what else to say. "You are in what you humans called 'The Ghost Zone.'"

A breath. "The Ghost Zone?" Danny looked down at himself. "Wait."

His eyebrows furrowed as he reached for his chest, gripping his shirt.

"D-does that mean that I'm-?"

"No."

Danny looked up at the figure confused. The being-ghost(?) smiled.

"At least, not what you think it is."

He shifted a bit, making himself a little more comfortable. Danny blinked, he was a young adult now.

"…"

He wasn't going to ask. Yet.

"Do you know how a ghost is formed?"

Danny stared at him, wondering what the ghost was thinking, relaxing just a fraction when it seemed the ghost wasn't going to attack. Say what you think, despite his average grades, he was smart enough that if he had actually tried, he could have skipped a couple grades by then.

Funny thing, how friends work, huh?

"A ghost," Shift. He was an old man with a beard now. "is formed when a human dies, yes?"

Danny walked a little closer to the ghost only to sit on the floor in front of him. He nodded.

"Yeah. My parents said that ghosts are like the post-consciousness of a human with strong desires or something like that." He wondered if that was right.

"True. But not exactly." He smiled again. It seemed warmer than his other ones and served to have Danny relax a little bit more.

"A ghost is formed in several different ways." The -still nameless- ghost put up his hand ticking off a list, while Danny listened attentively. Completely ignoring the fact that he barely knew the ghost - _he was safe, he would be fine.-_

"One way is through a living being's death. Their soul, if they have strong wills, often stay behind to try and complete their final wish. Some, though, have a task that can never really be completed, or some decide to stay after completing their task, however, rare that one may be." The ghost glanced over at Danny and smiled at how interested the boy was.

"You are a bit like this category, though not quite."

Wide eyes.

"But didn't you say-?"

"Do not worry. Everything will be explained in due time."

Frown. Everything was so _confusing._

"Another is where the ghost isn't exactly a 'living thing'. Often, this type of ghost is an object that has been affected by a living being's feelings to the point of gaining sentience."

Silence.

Danny looked down at his hands as he sat cross-legged on the rug- _(same colour as the green out there. Weird.)-_ fiddling with the threads while trying to sort his thoughts.

"W-why are you telling

The ghost's eyes twinkled again.

"So that you will be able to understand what you have, _become,_ so to speak."

At the look of horror showing on his face, the shifting spirit was quick to continue.

"Do not worry, you are still human."

A sigh of relief.

"Oh. Ok."

He blinked.

' _Wait. Then what_ am _I?'_

The ghost continued. "Of course, all ghosts in this world and yours rely on a certain power source to stay, 'alive' so to speak."

Another shift. He was a baby again...and still with no legs. "And that power source is from our mater Evermore."

A pause.

"Who's Evermore?"

The shifting ghost's eyes seemed to glow brighter and the smile came back wider than ever. Like he was expecting him to ask the question, despite mentioning her only once. Shift. He laughed, then answered:

" **The Undead Realm."**

It wasn't loud. Not really. But as he spoke, his voice reverberated around the room, reaching deep within Danny's soul and sending him shivering at the obvious power in the ghost's voice.

He heard it then. A tinkling sound that was interspersed with a flute of sorts that echoed around the small room. An invisible wind seemed to rush past him in curiosity, ruffling his hair and hugging him in a way that seemed familiar. Motherly whispers of comfort floated past his ears, speaking of promises of safety. He relaxed completely.

" **We are her children, the ones whom she protects, and the ones who will forever call her mother."**

"And you," He was back to normal again- as if what he just said, and did, _didn't happen_ \- "are a part of her."

At his dumbstruck look, he continued. "Well, at least half of you is."

Blink.

The wind swirled around him playfully, greeting him.

"What?"

"You are what we call, Medium, or Duone."

A tinkling sound.

The ghost chuckled again.

' _I really need to find out his name.'_

"In layman's terms, a Halfa."

Danny shifted moving in a slightly better position, almost wishing he had a chair. He didn't notice the chair slowly materialising behind him. It was a lovely blue colour.

"A Halfa?" He could hear the capitalization. "Like half? Half of what, though?" And despite what the ghost said, ' _was he still human then?'_

"Ghost."

He froze.

"Ghost?" He whispered.

"Yes." The ghost answered. "You are half ghost. A Halfa."

His mind raced as he thought, thinking about how that was possible. He was half-ghost then. A-a Duone? A Medium? That's what he called them right? H-he was practically half- _dead_. His parents _-oh god his parents-_ had a mutual _interest_ in ghosts. He remembered their fantasies, their thoughts on what they were planning on what they would do once they found a ghost. _Their son was now one._ What would they do if they found out?

His mind flashed to what he recently remembered - _the portal_ \- the pain, the _burning_ lightning that tore through his body. The slow- _slow_ ripping between two forces that caused a great agony he never experienced before. His last coherent thoughts, thankful that - _at least it wasn't his friends, his parents, or his sister-oh man what would they_ think? _He was a ghost!_

He didn't realise his breath was getting faster, that he was clutching his hair, eyes blown wide as he slowly descended into a panic attack.

He should be _dead,_ he _was_ dead.

He slowly curled into the fetal position, still tugging at his hair in distress, eyes tearing up, oblivious to his surroundings

And then he was surrounded by purple.

Cloth rustled as the ghost moved to a better position while picking up Danny in his arms. Hugging him. Telling him to _breathe_. The sentient wind- _Zeiss, right?_ -swirled around him in worry.

"You are not dead." Danny looked up, to come face to chest of a swinging pendulum. It was rather soothing. "You are half-ghost and half-human. There is a difference."

Tic. Tock.

"Sleep. Everything will be explained later on." Smile. "Your family has been waiting long enough."

Tic...Tock.

Never had he felt so _safe_ before _._

Tic… Tock…

He slept.

* * *

 **A/N:**

ehehe~ 2,000+ words! barely! Almost proud of myself. SO. I may or may not have upturned any logic in this Phandom on its head and introduced a bunch of AU's that I've been hoarding in my head and letting float in my around my notes. It sorta went a bit weird in the end... (I'm experimenting here.)

(Li'l word of warning: I am a complete noob when it comes to writing fanfiction.)

I'll repeat, I have no idea where this will be going. I only know that I'm just trying to make it as fluffy as possible. Hopefully. Sorry It seems a bit fast-paced, didn't know how to slow it down.

Ask any questions you might have, and I'll answer as much as I can, so long as it might not spoil whatever the story will turn out.

Hope you enjoyed the Chappy!

Also..Please Review? I'd love some feedback on making this fic!


	4. Duone Panics

Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom nor do I wish it, as it would be vastly different from what it is and would be far darker for children to watch.

A/N:

If all y'all wondering about the title I originally wasn't really planning on keeping the title in the first place and honestly just wanted to get a story up before I lost my nerve. eheh~. So yeah, Intermortuus. I think it means half-dead as google translate says in...Latin? I think so. Also Big Thanks to my beta-reader Kid-genius1!

* * *

He was quiet.

Well, anybody would be if they had to experience _that_ and survive. Still, Tucker couldn't help but worry.

When Danny was discovered he had almost collapsed in relief. Instead, he was too busy trying to support Sam when she did instead. Danny was sleeping when they found him, practically dead to the world. And that almost made poor Tucker's heart stop. It wasn't until Mrs Fenton put her fingers to his neck and declared him alive and healthy, that he chose to relax.

It had been a week ever since the incident and he didn't speak a word of it. Summer had ended and a new school year was starting. Of course, he hasn't gone back to school yet, but they always made sure to visit his house after school. ( _They would have skipped entirely had their parents let them_.)

After the whole spectacle, Danny's parents scolded them, thinking it was a joke. They then proceeded to go back downstairs and celebrate their success. Tucker and Sam didn't protest, still a bit in shock after what happened.

Danny was alive, despite what they saw. What they _heard_.

Sam would have fainted in sheer relief, had she not had her pride. She settled for hugging a very confused Danny when he woke up and scolded him for scaring her like that.

( _No one acknowledged about what had happened, but by the tremor in her arms she knew it was real.)_

Mr and Mrs Fenton had gone back to studying the portal and making sure it didn't do anything. One of their first prototypes exploded on them once, hurting their friend in the process. They weren't keen on making the same mistake.

They had allowed Danny to miss school for the first few days considering that he had genuinely looked ill despite the scare they had. ( _Danny_ _was pale with swollen eyes and a stuffy nose. He was sleeping when they found him, yes, but he looked so_ tired.)

Whenever Danny thought they weren't looking, he'd get this glazed look in his eyes. It was as if he was thinking back to whatever had happened in the Incident. Fortunately, they had always managed to snap him out of it, either by inviting him to their house to play games or watch movies. A little bit of normal instead of the craziness and sudden shift in his life.

He was worried, but he could wait.

- _They heard his screams. His cries of help and pain, and that no matter how short it lasted, It was something he hoped would never happen ever again.-_

He can wait.

- _And when he was ready, when he would tell them everything, he would be there for him.-_

And he would be prepared.

* * *

He knew what they were trying. And while he appreciated the attempt, he wasn't ready to tell them yet.

Don't get him wrong, he wanted to tell them. He wasn't planning on keeping something this big from them. He just wanted to get used to the idea himself. That he was, well.

' _I_ ' _m half ghost.'_

Really, it sounded stupid. Had it not been for what happened he wouldn't have thought it possible in the first place. The fact that he knew he wasn't dreaming, or that what seemed like a half-baked dream was all true helped a little. He was half-ghost. ( _And ghosts are dead so that means that he's half-_ )

He paced his room, still thinking on what the ghost (He still didn't get his name, dang it) had said. He had said something about being a uh, Duone? Yeah, a Duone. He ran his hands through his hair making his hair messier than it usually was. He didn't notice the small, white flashes of light jumping off his torso.

' _And Duone was just another way of saying that I'm half ghost. A Halfa.'_

He frowned.

' _But if I'm half-ghost-'_ He shuddered. He wasn't quite used to thinking of himself like that. '- _Then why don't I look, I dunno, ghostly?'_

Not that he actually had an idea of ghosts really looked like. The only reference he had was that red-eyed dude. Even then he didn't really get a good look at him considering how out of wack he was at the time. (Yes, he will admit that letting a complete nonhuman being in a room he didn't remember being in, _inside_ , was not a good idea.)

He stopped pacing, pausing in front of the mirror. Studying his reflection. The young half-ghost had a rather vague memory of a mist or something that had surrounded him once. What was it, though?

The flashes grew stronger. He was oblivious to the action.

' _Something white, maybe?'_

He closed his eyes, trying to remember what he saw. The flashes started to form into a ring that circled his torso, blinking every second.

' _And...green?_ '

They grew brighter. Danny blinked, finally noticing the rings. A bright white that almost blinded him. He felt strangely calm despite the weirdness of what was happening.

"Huh…"

And the rings moved.

It split in two, travelling over his body in opposite directions. What they left in their trail, was _change_. Gone was his shirt and jeans replaced with a black and white hazmat suit that felt like he had worn it his whole life. When they passed over his eyes they morphed into a toxic, glowing green. His hair bled to a shocking white colour that was almost impossible to match to any white he'd seen. On the chest of the suit was a vaguely familiar symbol that he remembered seeing on that door in the room he had woken in.

The whole transformation had sent shivers down his spine and a soft mist puffed out of his mouth. When he thought it was over, the rings gave out one more burst of light before fizzling out.

Danny blinked and stared at the reflection that was him. He knew it was him. And the voice came back.

' _Danny Phantom'_

His scream was heard for miles, startling every bird in the vicinity into flight.

* * *

The Fentons paused, Maddie Fenton stopped what she was doing, looking to her husband... and Jack Fenton with a look of utter fear on his face quickly glancing over to connect his eyes with hers. With a clatter, they dropped the tools they were holding (thankfully nothing too dangerous)and ran up the stairs two at a time yelling:

"Danny!?"

* * *

DANNY?!"

Danny jumped, startled as he turned towards the door where his parent's voices came from. He looked down at himself.

"Eep."

He was still -what is this? Ghost form? The thuds were getting louder. Panicked, he ran and locked the door, hoping it might hold them off, if even for a second. (Although if his dad decided to kick it down, it held no hope of holding.)

The door rattled.

"Sweetie!? Is everything ok?"

"Son! Is it a ghost!?"

"I-I'm fine mom! Dad! I, uh just hit my toe!"

' _Yeah right.'_

"...really hard!"

' _How do I turn back!?'_

He tugged at the suit almost wishing for it to somehow magically turn back to his regular shirt of red and white.

Pacing, he tried to think despite the distraction outside his room.

 _Ok, ok. What did I do to, um, turn? Back into a, uh human?_

He paused.

 _I was thinking about ghosts, right?_

"Sweetie? Are you sure you're ok?"

The doorknob jiggled.

"Just a moment mom!"

He turned towards the door again. "I-I'm changing!" His voice cracked a little. Damn his puberty.

 _C'mon, Think! What did I look like, well, alive?_

He grabbed at his hair.

 _B-black hair. Um, blue eyes. I don't float and my heart beats._

Closing his eyes Danny concentrated on what he knew he looked like human. The rings flashed into existence.

 _Human. I'm human. Or half, really but yeah, same thing._

And the process repeats.

 **DannyishumannothumanghostnotghosthalfaDuone**

* * *

Flashing lights shined from under the door.

"Danny?" She said. "What are the lights for?"

She jiggled the knob again as if it would magically unlock. Her nervousness increased at the continuing silence.

"Sweetie?"

The lights stopped. And with a click, the door swung open. Standing there looking ruffled but overall fine, was Danny.

With a shaky smile, he answered. "Y-yeah, mom? Dad?"

Mr And Mrs Fenton exchanged looks. Maddie stepped forward., putting her hand on his forehead. He was a bit cold but fine.

"Are you okay sweetie? We heard this loud scream and we ran all the way here. What happened?"

Shifty eyes. "U-uh, sorry mom. I-I was playing an uh, horror game. The jump scare startled me." A grin. "Sorry about that."

She frowned.

"Well, if you're sure then…"

He nodded jerkily. "Y-yeah I'm okay mom."

They both relaxed. Mr Fenton silently put away the gun back in his pocket, having had one in case of emergency. Danny didn't notice the movement.

Maddie nodded. Then she reached for a hug, ignoring the flinch.

Backing up, hands still on his shoulder she said, "Remember Danny, if you need to speak to either of us or if you need anything, we'll be downstairs okay?" Jack nodded along with what she said

Danny smiled again. A more genuine one.

"Alright then. Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

They nodded then started their descent back downstairs, while Danny watched them go. Slowly he backed up and closed the door again. Flopping to the ground, he sighed.

"That was close…"

He closed his eyes.

"I'm gonna have to practice…"

* * *

A/N:

aaand Snap! Woo! Another done! In Christmas cheer, I have uploaded a chapter early. And I'm thinking of posting another story. It isn't Christmas themed at all but I've had it in the background slowly growing so I figured why not. Also since I won't be able to see you until after the year is over:

Merry Days! And a Happy New Year!

And please, if you don't mind, Review! It helps my writing better and makes me very happy!

See y'all next Chappy or story!

...

( _What? You already did it? Aw, but I was hoping I could speak...Next one? Fine.)_


	5. Guardians

**A/N:** My poor Beta is bogged in work, and I wish them luck! For now, if anyone doesn't mind being a sounding board or looking over my work, please, PM me!

Disclaimooooor: I dun' owny Danny Phantom

Enjoy!

* * *

" _It is almost upon us."_

Who…?

" _He will destroy us all if he is not taken care of Clockwork!"_

" _You know what he has done! What he_ will _do!"_

" _We must kill-"_

" _SILENCE."_

" _If you are worried so much…"_

" _I will….care-Daniel….wake…"_

Huh?

" _Daniel"_

Wha?

" _D_ a _n_ iel"

Who…?

"Daniel. Wake up."

Five more minutes, please…

"DANIEL."

He shot out of his bed with a yell, abruptly awoken by the loud voice. In his jumpiness his legs tangled with the sheet, thus sending him sprawling on the ground in a face plant.

"Ow…"

A chuckle was heard, prompting Danny to glare at said perpetrator. His eyes widened.

"It's you!"

And there st-floated the ghost that he met, blue skin, red eyes, everything. Smiling at him like he _didn't_ just wake him up in his room in the middle of a...ghost hunter's house. A _ghost hunter's house._ He paled very, very quickly.

Quietly, he hissed, hoping his parents didn't hear him yell. "What are you doing here!? You're gonna get-um how do ghosts die? Ended?-you're gonna get ended in this place!" He struggled up on his elbows trying to untangle from the sheets and failing rather spectacularly. The blue ghost simply chuckled shaking his head.

The old looking ghost lifted a glowing hand taking Danny with it and releasing him from his impromptu prison. He was gently placed back on his bed.

Danny blinked.

"Thanks." He muttered.

"You need not worry Daniel." He gestured towards his neck. Only then did he notice the weight around it. Looking down he saw a necklace or purple ribbon really tied around his neck. Attached to said ribbon was a...gear? The gear had the letters C and W carved into it intertwined. It had from what he could guess a goldish inlay and purple background part _-he was a high schooler how was he supposed to know about stuff like metals or-_ the rest wasn't painted over and it looked almost ancient like. He shivered. There was something about it though…

"Wearing that, you'll have no need to worry about your parents or anyone else interrupting our talk." The ghost said. Danny furrowed his brow. That sounded a little ominous.

"How does that work?" The Duone looked up at the -now a baby- ghost. "Oh, and what was your name?" He grinned, nervous _(and a little wary.-It's a ghost for freakin sakes!-)_ rubbing the back of his neck.

"I didn't get it last time." He explained sheepishly.

The blue-skinned ghost chuckled and shook his head at the wary diversion, but replied.

"My name is Clockwork." He fiddled with his staff again. Nervous red eyes made contact with Danny's blue ones. "And I am the Master of Time."

"Clockwork?" The ghost _(Finally! A name!)_ smiled. Danny shook his head, clearing whatever grogginess he had left from sleep. He looked at Clockwork.

"Master of Time?" It kinda sounded a bit cheesy if he was honest.

Clockwork nodded. "I control the many time streams, of what may or may not happen and their consequences. In terms of the ghost zone, I am considered the... _neutral_ party to many things."

A few quiet minutes.

"So...you froze time?" It wasn't that hard to figure out. He was a 'master of time' therefore, time stop.

"Yes." Clockwork's form shifted to an old man, beard unrolling like a rope. Danny watched in rapt fascination.

"How do you do that?"

"Hm?" The half-ghost gestured a little impatiently at the ghost.

"Y'know, change your looks. Old one minute a baby the next." He hurriedly tacked on, "Not to be rude or anything."

"Ah." He nodded. "It is a representative of what I do and who I am."

He continued. "I may be called Master Of Time, but it is more appropriate to call me it's Guardian."

"And since I am the 'Master of Time,' I must represent it in some form or way, as it has been since the beginning of Time."

A minute of silence. During that minute Danny took to the time to bring his legs up to his chest looking down at his bare hands ( _white gloves and sparks._ ) and feet. ( _Boots, a match to his gloves._ ) He inhaled, absorbing what the ghost had said, then looked up.

"You never answered why you're here though."

A small pause.

"I'm here to bring you back to Evermore to get your Guardians mark."

"...huh?" _Guardian? 'Mark?'_

Clockwork stared at Danny.

"You are still a part of Evermore, half-ghost or not."

He flinched. It was _still_ hard to think of it. Because being a ghost( _half.)_ means he was _dead_ in some form or another. Oh don't worry, he got over being 'dead' rather quickly. ( _I mean, what can you do?_ )

It's just.

How would he even explain that to his friends? ( _They would definitely blame themselves._ )

Let's not mention the fact that he has a ' _ghost form'_ of all things.

"And every new ghost will have a Guardian from now and forever." Danny snapped his head up.

"Say what, now?"

"Every new ghost, half or not, gets a Guardian. They will teach you the fundamentals and rules of Evermore, or the Ghost Zone." Wide eyes.

"So I'm getting another parent?"

"Essentially, yes."

"Huh."

"And a Guardians Mark?"

"A symbol on one's skin that shows you as the ward of another ghost."

"Cool."

A sudden cold feeling seeped into his chest and quickly travelled up his throat. His mouth felt like ice. He hiccuped. Blue mist seeped out of his mouth, dissipating into the air. The cold stayed a while longer, lingering in the pits of his stomach.

' _What. The. Hell.'_

And then suddenly his chest seemed to squeeze a little as white rings flickered unsteadily into existence. Danny stared at them, completely forgetting the Time ghost in the room. These rings weren't surrounding him like the other ones. No, these were in front of his face hovering and slowly spinning like the buffer on a video.

The rings didn't move.

It just... _stayed_ there flickering slightly but still as brightly as he last saw it. If he looked closer he would see small traces of blue and green just light enough to blend in with the white. It was rather hypnotising to look at…

Hesitantly, he lifted a hand and poked it.

Nothing.

Aside from a small chill that's all he felt.

And then all he saw was _white_.

* * *

To an outsider ( _Or Clockwork._ ) it would have looked like Danny had suddenly froze, staring at nothing. That is until his eyes turned a glowing white and his entire body seemed to flicker like an old TV screen.

Alarmed, Clockwork quickly moved toward the boy. Panic was clearly evident in his movements and wide red eyes. (- _He couldn't See, couldn't_ Know _anything-_ )

The moment he touched the boy he was blasted back and straight through the wall and into his time-frozen sister's room. Bits and pieces of plaster and wood stood frozen once the ghost's body was no longer in contact with it. A few pointy ones were rather close to the sister that was currently studying. Clockwork was rather grateful he had asked for time to stop. He got up quickly, surprised but unharmed by the burst.

Looking through the hole he saw the Duone was now floating as bright white rings passed over Danny's body turning him into the ghost he first had seen pulling out of the portal. White eyes, turned deep radioactive green, closed, giving the boy an almost peaceful look. Slowly the body floated back down onto the bed into its original position, the rings having long dissipated.

Mentally Clockwork slowly reversed this timeline until he was back in position and it looked like nothing happened. Aside from the transformation.

And he waited.

* * *

Slowly, Danny opened his eyes ( _When had he closed them?_ ) and blinked. Clockwork faced him with a neutral look that he couldn't decipher. Then he looked down at his now glove-covered hands.

"...I changed didn't I?"

"You did."

"You knew about this already?"

"I _am_ the master of Time."

"I guess."

The world tilted and his vision blurred. Gentle hands gripped his shoulder, preventing him from falling over.

"Take it easy. You're still 'young' in terms of ghosts. So you still need _Vis idolum._ "

What?

A pause.

"Ectoplasm as you say."

Oh.

"Where are we going?"

A bright dark green circle appeared at the end of Clockworks staff.

"Tutum loco tuum."

* * *

She was worried. The little _midius phasma_ was gone for too long. She hoped her little _Gregorian_ would be able to bring him soon.

Ever since he was made, she had immediately realised that he wasn't completely here. Like the other midius phasma, he was something in the middle. Between _Terra Mater_ , and her, _Sine Fine Mors._ A medium.

Only.

There was something _more._ Something, something, something. A little something, a youngling. A little more. _Interesting._

Something was going to happen with this little one. Something _big._ And there would be no avoiding it.

But, right now-

* * *

( _A spark._ )

( _A_ request _. From Gregorian_. _To enter._ )

* * *

Right now, he was weak.

* * *

( _She granted it. In his arms was Vide._ )

* * *

Right now. He was young.

* * *

 _('Quickly quickly, little Gregorian.'_

" _I am."_

 _She obligingly opened the door to Vide's room. Quickly he flew through and gently placed him on the bed. The boy instantly relaxed. He was Home_ )

* * *

Not quite yet to what she knew was going to be her _favente._

* * *

(" _Clo-work?" Danny slurred._

" _Do not worry Daniel."_

 _She quickly flew over to the boy, ruffling his hair._

" _Zat you? Ziss?"_

 _Quod sic. Vos nam nimis longum est absentis._

" _paenitet Mater."_

' _somnum'_

 _Tinkling bells echoed around the room, as Danny, once again fell asleep, form shifting to human._ )

...

* * *

...

She will watch over him for now. And when she couldn't-

( _A swirl of her power flew onto Danny's face slowly forming into tiny printed cogs, each smaller than the last trailing down to his neck. Clockworks eyes widened._ )

-She knew her little Gregorian could.

* * *

 **Words: 1669**

 **A/N: :3** (I have no clue how this came to be.)

Apparently, Phantom with a capital 'P' is Vide ( _Vee-d-eh_ ). Which in French is empty. Apparently. Also, Gregorian is Clockwork. Correct me if I'm wrong pls.

 **Translations:**

 _Tutum loco tuum_

Your Safe Place/Home

 _midius phasma_

Basically 'Middle Phantom' or 'half ghost'

 _Sine Fine Mors_

Endless Death

 _Terra mater_

Mother Earth

 _Quod sic. Vos nam nimis longum est absentis._

Yes. You have been gone for too long.

 _paenitet Mater._

Sorry, Mother.

 _Somnum_

Sleep.

 _Favente_

Favoring

Oh and all words are Latin unless I mention somethin' else.

 **Slightly Important** Note:

Please, dear readers, this story can't get written by just me. I'm not a good writer so any suggestions or ideas to include in this is much appreciated. I'd even like some criticisms. Flames too, if I can find good advice in the ashes.

 **To all those who reviewed.** Thank you. Some of what y'all said actually helped in how I would be writing this.


	6. I’m Semi-back

**FenixFATA23** Hm ... ok, veo que voy a ver lo que puedo hacer! ¡Gracias por la reseña! (P.S. esto es todo el google translate. Lo siento si algunas partes no tienen sentido.) **buterflypuss** hmmm Its true you can't CP in the mobile app but you can do it by phone. I'll add translations anyway. Sorry for the confusion.

Oh look, more Latin.

Oh and, should I have mentioned that Zeiss is technically an OC. And that she is Evermore A.K.A the Ghost Zone mhmm might change her name actually.

* * *

It was...calm. A soft quiet with tinkling bells and chimes playing against the wind.

 _Wind?_

Did he fall asleep again? Exasperation was evident.

Danny blinked and soft green light filled his vision. It was coming from the window in the room. A room that looked rather familiar.

"So it wasn't a dream…"

" **Non erat."** A voice, soft and high, answered him.

He paused looking around only for his eyes to land on Clockwork who was sitting away a bit in a blue chair that he didn't remember was there last time.

"Quid est?"

" **Salve, paulo tenuem."**

"H-hello...?"

" **We are Evermore. Or Mother as Gregorian calls us."**

"My name's Danny."

"I know." Tinkling could be heard behind her voice. She sounded amused. Another look around ( _his this is yours, Danny_ ) the room revealed what looked like Clockwork...in a corner. And was he pouting?

"Clockwork?" With a small sigh, the ghost turned around a slightly strained smile on his face.

"Welcome back Daniel." The Halfa frowned.

"Call me Danny. And can you hear her?"

" **He can hear us.** " The endless tinkling seemed to grow slightly louder, almost as if the invisible entity that Danny couldn't see, was giggling. An exasperated look appeared on the time ghost, but the smile on his face showed his mirth.

"Yes, yes, tease the old ghost why not?" And for almost a brief moment Danny smiled. It went away once he realised where he actually was.

"...Why am I here again?" Clockwork looked away. That sent no fair amount of alarm. Really if he wasn't so young-or half dead- he'd be getting a heart attack from all this stress.

 **"You had transformed into your Other."** Danny paused, blinking out of his panic attack. He gave it a thought. Other? A soft voice seemed to echo from his memories.

' _Danny Phantom_ '

"Phantom?" Clockwork nodded.

"If that is the name you chose, then yes." He didn't really choose it but well, that was fine with him. The Time ghost continued on.

"Your 'Phantom' form had taken over in a moment of backlash. It is still settling and had probably needed more of Vis idolom, therefore we had to take you back here." It was here that Danny shifted a little, uncomfortable with the fact that he basically got kidnapped by a stranger. Danger Stranger and all that.

But…

Was it supposed to save his Life? Right? ' _Death?..._ Stability' Really, he needed to get answers for that so he could stop getting so confused. He rubbed his face a little.

"Vis idolom was something like...ectoplasm right?"

"It is what humans call it, yes." He gestured around the room. "And this is your lair inside of Evermore."

He looked around. It looked an awful lot like his own room. Come to think of it, that was probably why he didn't panic last time. Even the mirror was in the same spot. The only things missing were the models and posters…

"A lair to a ghost is formed to look like their safest place or, something that they envisioned is a safe place for them. It can't replicate everything of course, and the colours are affected by the atmosphere, but it is close." Clockwork had explained his unasked question once again.

"O- _kay_ …" He glanced around as Evermore floated about and around the furniture. That chair wasn't there before…

"So, What now?"

Clockwork was...worried. Why would Matercula do this? He hadn't been a Guardian for several millennia! And, try as he might she had refused to take off the mark that now adorned the boys sleeping face. He would bet a cog that even the Eyeballs didn't expect this either.

But still, the time ghost barely remembered how he had accomplished it last time. How was he to teach one that he wasn't even sure wanted this in the first place? Not that it mattered much, Daniel needed to learn, otherwise, he might very well hurt himself or others.

He would keep his thoughts out of this and let Danny choose.

* * *

Clockwork had explained. He had shown him the mark on his face with a mirror that Danny made. (So long as he was in his...lair he could make almost anything so long as he knew what it looked like...It was awesome) Black and silver clockwork cogs trailed down his face almost reaching his collarbone getting smaller as it went. If he crossed his eyes, it would almost look like flowers of doom or something. It was an intricate piece of work and by the smug jingles, (How do jingles sound _smug_?) Evermore was very proud of it.

Absently he rubbed his cheek as he stared at the homework in his hands. He had returned back home, with time flowing now and he was…'recharged' so to speak. It was a weird complicated thing that had him needing to go back at least once a week before he destabilizes or something like that. Clockwork tried to explain but it still was a bit confusing. So for now, he was relaxing in his bed at home groaning over homework that he missed for the past week or so.

The computer chimed.

TechLover8 has sent a message!

VegGoth646 has sent a message!

 _[hey dude, you comin school tomorrow?]_

 _[Hey Danny, are you coming back to school tomorrow?]_

 _R: [Probs maybe]_

 _[Whaddya mean 'maybe', Danny we can only hep so much before the teachers suspect or sumthin.]_

 _R: [I know, I know, I'm gonna finsih the hmwak before I get back, alright?]_

 _[Alright…]_

 _R: [Signing off. And /maybe/ see you tomorrow.]_

 _[See ya.]_

With a sigh, he shut it off again, not before giving a longing look to his game. Man, he missed DOOM so much right now. But with all the ghost stuff and the late homework he had no time for such a luxury.

He clicked the lamp on as the sun slowly set, scribbles of a pencil and rustled of paper being the only sound in the room.

* * *

...Apologies. Life is hard. But I still hold inspiration for these stories, do not worry. I merely need to find time...I'll see about updating something a little longer once I manage to catch these ghosted thoughts and make them real.


	7. Startling Try

Oh. Hey. I'm doing a little better. Enjoy something-hopefully- better written than last chapter.

 **Mobiledonthavelinebreaks**

"Like this?"

"No."

"How about now?"

"...No."

"Come _on_ "

A flash of light.

Glove clad hands throw themselves in the air in frustration as the now ghostly teen floated above his lair's bed. Flipping back with a huff, his body still floated, silvery hair brushing the sheets.

"This is so _hard_." He groaned, staring up at the wobbling blueish ceiling that was his room. Did that look like an octopus? Maybe a vine monster.

"It takes time, and you are a very rare type of breed that is hardly known about." Danny frowned. Of _course_ he was rare. What else was new? Was there a ghost hunter who knew what he was, willing to-I dunno, put him on a pedestal for all the world to see? He shivered at the idea, pushing it away so he could better focus. The room was warping at his every thought. Moving forward, he attempted to sit up, only to spin forward again. Gravity suddenly decided to work and he flopped on his head on the bed. (Oo a rhyme!)

With a grumble he flip/rolled forward until he was facing Clockwork once again.

"I know, I know, but…" _when could he actually do something more than this?_ It had already been several weeks and all they've ever done was transformation. Granted, he could barely do that but a teenager could only handle so much-!

A soft sigh and Clockwork sat on the bed. A bed made from Danny's _mind_. Let's not forget the thought of the fact that this whole place was made from him. (It was still odd to hear the information of what was going on in the..uh lair.- _He could tell when_ _someone passed by outside his door, could feel every movement of Clockwork_ , information that was very jarring considering he saw what the ghost did as well.-Like an out of body experience.)

Clockwork, for looking quite solid, barely made an indent in the bedsheets, ghostly tail curling around the bedpost. The purple cloak that they seemed to always keep on themself, flared up before settling neatly over top the sheets. Show off.

"Perhaps we shall take a break?" He said, tilting his head questionably. And Danny was up, nodding his head as much as it would allow. The teenager was already moving off the bed.

"Yes _please_." The ghost chuckled before moving to gesture to the door to outside.

"How about a short tour of the area?" Clockwork hadn't let him explore much of this world beyond the area surrounding Clockworks own lair, Long End, and his own Door. A bit boring but with unknown territory and-probably-hostile neighbors he didn't think to explore beyond the boundaries asked of him.

A tour? Instantly he stood up, excitement in the teenagers eyes.

"Yes please!" He repeated, a lot more enthusiasm than before, colouring his tone. Clockwork smiled.

 **Iwonderwhenthey'lladdlinebreaksonmobile**

The air in this...dimension would be described-as his parents once said- heavy. Thick, and yet there was a chill to it that had them thinking someone was constantly watching them. It had set them on edge, had weapons whirring to life. It was also why his parents had barely entered this world despite being the ones who had made the portal in the first place.

To Danny, it was like a breath of fresh air, like that one time he had wandered into the forest at night as a kid. He had been alone, having run off and gotten lost. Soft scratches and bruises on his arms and face his trek-and _trip_ -showing on his skin. Dried tears trailed down through the dirt on his face wide eyes looking to the night. The sky was clear and the air light. Little Danny had looked to the stars in awe, the bright lights of beauty with a bright moon looking over the world. It was beautiful and fresh and it made him feel free and safe, despite his current predicament. It was also one of the reasons of why he loved astrology.

And now, he had another thing to like. As a...a ghost at least. ( _He was getting better with that thought, that he was like Schrödinger's cat but that it was also perfectly fine...as much as being half dead was "fine"_.)

Seeing the vast expanse that was Evermore's world, an endless green, swirly, organized chaos cemented his happiness here. Maybe it was because he partially belonged here as well.

A gloved hand guided them around-he wasn't used to flying quite yet-softly explaining whatever he asked, from the moving blobs, "little ones not yet formed or never will be. The will and spirit of creatures from your world."- to other doors -"That is the box ghost, as he calls himself. A rather enthusiastic man but generally nice."

It was...nice to hear and to learn. Unlike his English teacher, this was actually fun to learn. Clockworks words seeming to capture his attention, a story in sound mixed with the teachings of Evermore's gears. He had nothing against his human teachers, that was just how the system worked...just not with him. ( _His sister had mentioned it once or twice, something like Ads HD. He wasn't paying much attention at the time, too engrossed in trying to trudge his way through the confusing homework_.)

His thoughts were so engrossed that he almost didn't hear another ghost calling out CW's name.

"Clockwork." Danny's head snapped up eyes finding the voice it belonged to. A green...minion wearing what seemed to be really fancy clothing from 50 centuries ago floated before them. It didn't seem to have any mouth though it was easy to tell it wasn't happy. Next to the halfa Clockwork sighed, hand moving from Danny's shoulder to pinch his nose, an 80 year old shifting to that of 9.

"What is it that the Observants are in need of?" The time ghosts voice seemed to sound impossibly flat. Polite, but borderline implying that he did not want to see these...Observants? Danny reached out, grabbing Clockworks cloak before he could float away, his anchor gone.

The poor rendition of Mike Wazowski huffed, clearly understanding the underlying tones. It's one eye flickered to Danny ( _currently, he was quietly flailing, keeping himself from flipping upside down_.) squinting in suspicion at the mark under his eye. They were too far away to notice and by then the Ancient of Time had moved to distract. An eyebrow and an even flatter look greeted the singular Observant breaking whatever thought that had almost formed.

"We are here to remind you of the meetings. You have missed one and the others are not happy of your absence." Clockwork hummed, staff materializing in his hand. He tapped at the clock floating within the staffs curve the quiet 'tink tink' causing the Observant to twitch.

"It seems I have. Surely, even you with your linear sight may know what the reason could be?" The other ghost hesitated, a clawed hand raised as if to say so on some thing Danny didn't know. The silence was...heavy. The Observant frowned giving another huff. A minute of silence passed where Clockwork gave his most passive aggressive look and the green blob with an eye ( _figuratively_ ) sweated it's eye glancing to try and get a better look at the halfa. It didn't take long before the equivalent of a certain Pokémon at its weakest ( _He couldn't remember it's name, Zyggy or something?_ ) gave a hurried bow before flying off.

"That...was odd." Danny had failed in not flipping upside down twisting Clockworks cloak with him. He used his free hand to scratch at his cheek, the feeling of where the mark was leaving a tingle whenever Evermore was nearby. A soft tinkling chime confirmed it.

"You know them?" The ghost sighed, trivial in the action considering his nature, but was one they enjoyed doing.

"They are my... _employers_ , so to speak." The word was sharp on his tongue, distaste in every sense in that singularity. Silence.

"...ookaay?" The full-ghost gave a strained smile.

"I will tell you about them in due time. My advice, however is to keep away from them as much as possible." Confused but wary green eyes stared back at Clockwork, but nodded anyways. The Time ghost smiled, a lot more softer.

"Let us head back, it's about time for you to head home." Danny nodded, Clockwork was already helping him flip over so they could fly back to the Fenton Portal (and surprisingly, it was awfully close to where his own lair was. His door sat right behind it.) The soft symphony of a living world followed the pair until Danny changed back with a flash of light. The now human being, stumbled out on the other side, not followed by his assigned mentor. The music had cut off, Danny's contact with the source no longer within reach. In due time it would expand, near invisible in the air of Terra's land. And then she would be able to watch over what was hers much more easily.

Danny shook his head, the thought floating away as quickly as it came. Odd.

"Danny?" His head whipped up, eyes wide to stare at the pair before him. They were standing at the bottom of the stairs, green and violet eyes respectively, staring at him.

Oh no. He laughed nervously, a hand coming to rub the back of his head.

"Hey Tucker, Sam. Wha…" He stuttered, mind frantically trying to calm down. Poop. "Whatcha doing here?"


End file.
